About
30 YEARS In USAF
Aircraft Mechanic
RETIRED
Loving Exploring Nature!
PASSIONATE BACKPACKER
Loving My New Life!
Hiking, backpacking and thru-hiking hasn’t always been my passion. As a child my family went car tent camping every year at Dillon’s Beach and sporadically to other locations like Caps Crossing near Grizzly Flats and Sly Park.
My Grandparents, Red and Meryl Glasco took us kids camping too. My Grandpa was an outdoors man. When he tragically had a stroke and was paralyzed on his right side he didn’t let that stop him. In 1973 he and some friends founded the Handicapped Travel Club. I remember going to some of their events. These people may have been limited in their mobility but they had an insatiable drive to get out and have fun. The seed was planted.
The power of imagination makes us infinite. John Muir
Kokanee Provincial Park
When I lived in Washington State I went backpacking in British Columbia with some friends to Kokanee Provincial Park. We also went to Valhalla Provincial Park and climbed Lucifer Peak. I was inspired by the beauty and camaraderie of sharing the experience with others. You could say more seeds were planted yet the pure passion to escape into God’s country, the great outdoors, really didn’t set in until I retired.
Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world. John Muir
After Retiring I Was Hooked
My pure passion for the outdoors started when I retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving for 30 years. A friend told me about Lake Penner and how he loved backpacking there. I decided to pull together some gear and do a solo hike. As soon as I hit the trail I was struck by the overwhelming peace of the outdoors. No longer did I have to worry about world events and whether I needed to deploy on short notice…again. The stimulus of noise, people, cars, airplanes, and things were gone and the tranquility consumed me. I was literally crying and smiling as I hiked the first mile. After three days, literally alone at Lake Penner and the best rest I’d had in years…I knew I was hooked.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir
My Military Background
Proud To Serve
When I was growing up my father told me I had to be out of the house by the time I turned 18. I took him seriously, although many years later he said he was just kidding…go figure. A few years before I graduated high school I realized I really wanted to work on aircraft so I began looking into the military. Three of my uncles cornered me and told me I must go into the Air Force…so I did. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was fortunate enough to become an aircraft mechanic. I worked for nearly a decade on the B-52 Bomber, five years with the AC-130U Gunship, five years with the E3A NATO AWACS aircraft, a few years with the RQ-4 Global Hawk and finished off my last year with the U-2 Dragon Lady. Thirty years sounds like a long time but when your doing what you love…it really isn’t…OK some of it sucked really bad. I’ve traveled all over the world to some of the most amazing places. Sometimes I have trouble remembering which places I’ve been to, there are so many. I lived in Northern California, the island of Guam, Eastern Washington, Virginia, the Florida panhandle, Germany and right back here in Northern California. What a treasure to have traveled so much. I married my amazing wife, Jodi in the mid 80’s and she and our three kids explored the world together. I did my part deploying several times in support of U.S. combat operations. One of my many favorite assignments…supporting the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. It was one of the more plush assignments I was forced to endure. I’m proud to have served and now I’m exploring a new adventure in backpacking/thru hiking. Follow along with me as I visit some amazing places.
